Vaporizers are one of the broadest categories on a cannabis menu — and one of the most confusing for beginners. "Vape" can mean a 510-thread distillate cart, a live-resin disposable, a dry-herb tabletop unit, or a portable convection device. They all heat cannabis to release vapor without combustion, but they're built differently and they hit differently.
How vaporizers work
Combustion (smoking flower in a pipe, joint, or bong) reaches 600-900°F. That breaks down some of the cannabinoids and terpenes you wanted in the first place, and produces tar and carbon monoxide as byproducts.
Vaporizers heat cannabis material to 325-430°F — hot enough to release the cannabinoids and terpenes as vapor, cool enough to skip combustion. What you inhale is closer to steam than smoke.
This is the technical reality. We'll skip the comparative health framing — there isn't enough long-term study data on vapor inhalation to make absolute claims, and Washington advertising rules (WAC 314-55-155) limit what licensed retailers can claim about health effects. The factual difference is temperature and combustion byproducts, not "healthy vs unhealthy."
Categories
1. Dry-herb vaporizers
Heat ground flower directly. Two technologies:
- Conduction — flower contacts a heated surface. Faster heat-up, less even.
- Convection — hot air passes through the flower. Slower start, more even, generally cleaner flavor.
Sizes range from pocket-portable (PAX, Storz & Bickel Mighty) to tabletop (Volcano). Higher temperatures release more cannabinoids; lower temperatures (around 350°F) emphasize terpene flavor.
Dry-herb vapes use the same flower we sell — see the flower menu.
2. Distillate cartridges (510-thread)
A small glass cartridge filled with distilled THC oil that screws onto a battery (the standard "510 thread"). The cartridge has a heating coil that vaporizes the oil when you draw.
Distillate is highly refined cannabis oil — typically 80-90% THC, with terpenes added back for flavor. Consistent, potent, and the cheapest cannabis-per-mg-THC on most menus. Flavor profile is engineered (terpenes are added in measured ratios), so different brands taste meaningfully different.
3. Live-resin + rosin cartridges
Same form factor as distillate carts but the oil is extracted from fresh-frozen flower (live resin) or pressed under heat from flower or hash (rosin). The terpene profile is preserved from the original flower, not added back.
Live resin and rosin carts cost more than distillate. The trade is flavor + a more "full-spectrum" experience for fewer mg of THC per dollar. If terpenes matter to you, this is the category.
4. Disposable all-in-ones
Self-contained, pre-charged, throw away when empty. Pre-filled with distillate or live-resin oil. Convenient if you don't want to deal with batteries; not refillable, so over time it's more expensive.
5. Concentrate vapes (e-rigs, dab pens)
Built for concentrates — wax, shatter, rosin — loaded by hand into a heating chamber. Higher learning curve, stronger hits, more cleanup. Not a beginner category.
What to ask for at the counter
A budtender's first question is usually: "Have you used vapes before?"
If new:
- A 510-thread battery + a 0.5g distillate cart is the lowest-friction starting point. ~$30-50 total.
- Pick a cart with terpene profile you'd be curious to taste — staff can recommend by flavor (citrus, berry, gas, woody, herbal).
If experienced:
- Live resin or rosin if flavor is the priority.
- All-in-one disposables if you want to skip the battery + cart pairing.
- Higher-cannabinoid carts (THCa diamonds, full-spectrum extracts) for advanced palates.
Storage
Cartridges store best upright, away from heat and direct light. Heat thins the oil; cold thickens it. Room temperature is fine.